the red album...

so that you won't be blasted with the blissful sound of weezer when you enter our page...you follow this link to my streaming selections from weezer's new album...

thanks to the deej, i have been basking in the new sounds of weezer's latest album, and i wanted to give you all this same opportunity.

this latest album is a welcome addition to weezer's stable of quirky and lovable songs. those of you listening with kids should hit pause and wait till they've gone to bed...you've been forewarned mother...

it's hard to know why i enjoy rivers cuomo's lyrics so much, but his mix of sarcasm, irony and humor really hits the spot. he draws high school, college, single and married life into small doses of irony, wit and clarity. i don't agree with all he says and he is self-centerd at times to say the least. however, these songs make me laugh and they make me happy. give them a try...

any favorites so far?

the joshua trees...

michael and i embarked on some father and son sweetness this week. i had hope for a whale watching ride to the channel islands, but cost and time were prohibitive. ironically, the better known joshua tree is closer (under two hours), cheaper to visit and much better known. so we were off. the picture above illustrates that joshua tree is--in addition to a national park--a town of significant elevation and population...

joshua tree is part of the mohave and desert and is really something. i was obviously familiar with the tree courtesy of bono, but i didn't realize the beauty of the park. this is a gem in a desert land that is quite bland until just inside the park.

in my continuing effort to save the environment and stop the disaster that is global warming...i wanted to give a plug for alternative energy. quite a site off I-10...it warms the heart really.



as promised, the view in joshua tree is spectacular. the sun was on its downslope as we drove into the park and i was so taken with the site that i couldn't resist shooting pictures from the moving window as we wound our way to our campsite.


this time with michael was priceless. there is nothing like being in the outdoors with no distractions from toys, computers, tv's, naptime, bathtubs, studying, work, phones or whatever. we got to camp and roamed the campsite. michael used his new-found rock-climbing skills to great effect. he was in heaven roaming around the hidden-valley campsite with boulders, cliffs, ledges, hills, rabbits, lizards and heaven knows what other animals we didn't notice.


behind michael is his big rock-climbing accomplishment for that night. he scampered up the hill shown in the sun.


this is what we found waiting for us on the other side. michael liked to call it the joshua tree garden.


here's a view of our campsite from our perch.


his opinion of how well the afternoon went is fully apparent in the photo below. that night i mentioned to michael how camping reminded me of God's creations and their beauty. he said, 'yeah, like he created this place so son's can go camping with their dads' and he is right.


our gourmet meal was as follows...



after several chapters in 'return of the indian' we slumbered until sunrise at 5:48am--when we were greeted by this...


i didn't have a watch with me and didn't realize what time is was till we had packed up camp, eaten breakfast and finished a mile hike...all by 9:30am. the only time i am that productive in the morning is when i'm forced to pre-round before meeting with the attending for rounds. i prefer to avoid productivity like that so early in the morning...but no regrets that morning.

our first hike was to barker dam. in the 50's there were those who made a go of homesteading in the mohave desert. it didn't work, obviously, and this dam is a relic of bygone days. a pretty serene sight. the small dam to my right took the homesteaders two years to finish.


michael loved the cacti, and i think i've found the shrubbery i'll be giving to amy for valentines next year...


as one would expect from the mohave desert, we were treated to various hardy animals...luckily we never got closer than 7-10 feet from either rattler we encountered during our 17 hour stay. the sight of a large diamond-back in the desert is downright spooky. the second one we saw startled me and i nearly let fly with choice words not fit for young children. however, calmer feelings prevailed and we moved on as did he. needless to say, my ER antennas were working in high gear figuring our exit and treatment strategy if one of us were to be bitten. it is statistically more common to be bitten if you are drunk and stupid...and as michael and i had neither of those going for us we fared well...


from the harrowing to the serene. these lady bugs (yes lady bugs in the desert) swarm to this plant. we found several lady bug havens like this one and were taken with the beauty of it each time. pretty cool huh?

as with our time in diamond fork canyon, this trip did not end without incident. michael was at his sweet rock-climbing ways in the hidden valley preserve (pres. roosevelt and a homesteader blasted their way into this enclave of lush plant in the middle of the desert. they brought cattle in at the time and killed many of the native plants through overgrazing. the environmentalist in me was nearly brought to tears, but i soldiered on.) when he slipped on a rock and received some hefty road-rash for a 4 year old. he has handled it well--while garnering sympathy from his parents here at home with each dressing change.


so, for all of you who haven't come for the waves and/or disneyland. come to the desert. we'd love to go camping with you. or if you want to visit the windmills we could talk about greenhouse gas emissions. either way, thanks for reading.

heat advisory in the IE...

super hot in the inland empire. but somehow, we utah tranplants are coping...

the girls started out posing in their princess dresses while michael and i played baseball...



things devolved very quickly as the girls dresses came off so they could get into the fray of the game...


then all decency was lost when the wading pool began to fill. this is what happens when amy takes a nap and leaves the kids in paul's care...


is it environmentally unfriendly to use a wading pool? do i care? two questions i came away from on a really refreshing and rejuvenating thursday morning before work...

cup overfloweth...

so much to write about...where to start. i've had so many posts floating around in my mind today that i almost didn't post anything for feeling overwhelmed.

so i'll start small and see what happens from there.

i turned 30 and many of you came over to the house. what a cool gift. i loved talking with all of you. normally, at a social gathering like that, my guiding principle is get to the best food early and often. however, the night of the party i didn't eat a bite till many of you had left, and i didn't regret a minute of it:)

the contentment and happiness i felt was really nice. many of you have unknowingly and specifically changed my life. your impact on my life is something i cherish and appreciate. thank you also for the letters you emailed to amy. each one brought memories, feelings and/or thoughts that reminded me that my life has been good in large part because of the wonderful people i've met.

thank you.

and sorry...for the schmaltz. i try to avoid that here on the blog, but my emotions got the better of me.

how about something manly as an antidote.

friday night some frandsen boys went camping. pictures and video (once the videos can be found on the google server) to follow...

we shot lafe's new gun:

and michael talking about it...



we slept in the new tent (notice stevie's pink blanket...reminiscent of camping trips gone by:)

we hiked up the red cliffs of diamond fork canyon:

michael talking about how he wasn't so sure about this hiking thing...



michael learned the art of 'bum sliding' here:

and we embarked on an ill fated rafting trip (in the creek you can barely see to the left of stevie's arm) that ended less than 100 yards after it began and saw all of us wet and sputtering from being thrown from the inflatable kayak...


good times and good memories.

Anticipation...

In anticipation for our trip to Utah, Paul and Michael tried out some new camping gear.



As you can see, it was fun for the sisters as well.

Michael is looking forward to camping with the Frandsen men. See you soon!!

Happy 30th, Paul...

Well, today I'm married to a 30-year-old. But I must say, he rarely acts his age.

He makes life interesting, enriching, and spontaneous.




He is a tender, caring husband.


He is a happy, fun father.




He sets amazing goals and reaches them with gusto.



He does things with energy and passion.



Love you, Paul! Please never... really... act your age...

Glasses for Michael...

Welcome the newest addition to Michael's facial features!


After having visual screenings that clued us in to Michael's need for glasses, Paul was fast to book an appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist. He is about 20/60 in one eye and 20/80 in the other, with astigmatism. A definite call for glasses.

So last week, with prescription in hand, we went to pick out a pair of frames.


He was very thorough, and enjoyed the process of trying on so many frames. He especially noticed the different colors and logos. When he liked a pair he would remark: "I think these ones are style." That how we knew it was a "favorite."



His daddy was careful in creating a pile of "favorites" from which he made a final decision...


On Friday, he went to have them fitted...



And there you have it... Michael in glasses!

That night there was a special "Mommy and Me Dinner" at his preschool, where he got to make his stylin' debut.

On the way over, he suddenly said "Whoa, Mom! The mountains!" He told me about how he could see the green spots on the mountains, and how he thought they were "probably bushes or trees or somethin'."

Here he is with some of his classmates (all the classes sang songs to the mommies!)...


Here he is with his teacher, Mrs. Stout.


He was pleased that so many people liked his glasses. Teachers and other moms told him how cool and handsome he looked. Today in primary, one of his friends told him that she liked his glasses... most other kiddos seem pretty oblivious to them.

Michael has been very good about the "rules" for glasses, and will tell them to you if you ask him. He's very careful and responsible with them, and loves to put them in his nifty race car case. He has since remarked on several differences he sees with his new glasses.

So here begins a new chapter in the life of Michael. Let us know what you think... we'll read your comments to Michael!

Disney with the Sills...

We love it when family and friends come into town. On Monday, we got to meet the Sills at Disneyland.

Michael was in his element as he raced down Main Street... pretending the trolley rails are a racetrack--of course.



Their two girls are around the same ages as ours, and they had a lot of fun together.


The Sills are friends from medical school, and they are also doing their residency in emergency medicine--in Albuquerque. Paul and Ben had fun catching up, comparing gross ER stories, and talking about the fast-approaching future of the "real world."

They also went on some "big boy" rides together. Here they are on the Tower of Terror... they got a kick out of the two ladies in front of them in this picture:

Those are Paul's prescription sunglasses, by the way. He was going for the Matrix look.

At the end of the day, I asked Michael about his favorite part of the day. He related the part where he got to play in the grass by the fence with Maya (the parents were taking a break from the 100 degree heat with some ice cream and good conversation...). They entertained themselves for 30 minutes on that little patch of grass. Talking to Ben later, he said that Maya said the same thing. We decided, who needs Disneyland? Next time we'll just find a nice patch of grass.

Thanks again for including us as part of your vacation, Ben and Natalie!

time for a regime change...

in the midst of an increasingly shrill democratic primary, it looks more and more like there will be a change of direction in the white house come november. however, that change is likely to come from within the party who claims the current president. the democratic party has shot itself in its extremities time and again in recent months.

the most recent debacle at the national press club further hurts the 'candidate with the most popular votes'. this morning on npr, steve inskeep perpetuated the manipulative question (as many other obama supporters have in recent weeks) of whether the super-delegate in question (harry reid in this instance) would vote against the 'will of the people'. a simplistic question for a complex question of who is the more popular candidate.

facts to chew on:
She (clinton) has so far won 14 states with 44% of the country's population (16 states with 53% of the population if you include Florida and Michigan) compared with his (obama) 27 states with 34% of the population. She has won Florida and Ohio, two vital battleground states, and will almost certainly win Pennsylvania, a third. The polls show her beating Mr McCain in the last two of these, while Mr McCain beats Mr Obama in all three.

increasingly, i am beginning to think that a vote for obama is a vote for mccain and may campaign for the obama campaign myself--give money even...

regardless of what happens, these last few months have certainly made mccain's job easier as the obama camp has painted clinton as slick as willy and obama as the elitist 'black candidate'. (incidentally, i fully endorse neither view and would appreciate not being painted as such by certain factions of our readership...)

all interesting ideas for a political junkie that don't get at the heart of who would be better for the country as a whole. but what's more fun to talk about..?

Surf's up... Whoa daddy... Wipe out!

One of my favorite moments from this week... Michael wanted to do some surfing in our living room. The cushions were make-shifted into waves, and the Frandsen children became better surfers with dad's sweet tutorials.

Longest ride award goes to Michael. Best paddling technique award goes to Bekah. Best dressed award goes to Abby, of course.

(Please excuse the post-dinner, pre-bath and bed, end-of-day ragamuffin look that the girls are sporting...)



And best daddy award goes to Paul. This was just after he woke up after catching some sleep before a night shift. It is a fine balance he walks right now with his busy, busy resident schedule. He loves having fun with our kiddos, and they simply love being around him. I'm glad that he makes his time at home count in ways that truly matter.